Nicole Basbanes’ passion for books has taken her from her childhood home in Grafton to San Francisco, Washington, D.C., New York and now, to Upton .

Basbanes started her new job as Upton Library’s children’s and young adult librarian on April 9.

Since then, she has been getting to know residents.

“Everyone has been very welcoming. Many parents just walk in with their kids, so I get to meet them face to face,” she said.

Over the next few weeks, she will listen to kids.

“Even if it’s just a fun activity like cartooning or making cupcakes, I am open to it. Whatever the kids want, I’m here to jot down their ideas and bring them to life,” she said.

Before coming to the Upton library, Basbanes worked as a librarian at the Fay School in Southborough.

She earned an undergraduate degree at Sweet Briar College in Virginia, where she majored in English and creative writing.

After that, Basbanes earned a master’s in library science, with a focus on rare books and special collections, at the Palmer School in New York.

“Growing up in Grafton my whole life, I hit a point when I was college bound where I really wanted to explore as much as I could,” she said. “My first book-related job was in San Francisco working with rare books, but it was a little too businessy for me,” she said.

She also worked part-time jobs in Washington, D.C., bouncing between medical libraries, music collections and archival work.

“There was something about medicine and art; I couldn’t decide between my left brain and my right brain,” she said.

But it was at the Fay School that Brasbanes realized how much she enjoyed working with children.

“They get so excited about the content of the books, whereas with rare books there is more of a focus on the outside and the condition of books. Kids care more about what is inside,” she said.

While she currently calls Grafton her home, she plans to move to Marlborough in the summer, because her new job is not the only big change in her life. “I am getting married in June, and my fiancé lives in Marlborough, so I am kind of in transition. It is a crazy time, but in a good way,” she said.

Be it Upton, Grafton or Marlborough, Brasbanes said she is just happy to be settling in Massachusetts.

“I feel like I’ve been there and done that as far as traveling and living in different places. I definitely feel well-rooted here, and happier now that I’m back with my family again,” she said.

Morgan Rousseau can be reached at 508-634-7546 or at mrousseau@wickedlocal.com.